Artillery soldier Sergei rubs the sleep from his face. He gets little rest at the moment. The war in Ukraine never takes a break. We are in Mykolajiv county. Here, Sergei mans a Grad battery which is hidden in a forest edge under a large camouflage net. Winter is on its way. When the trees have lost their leaves, there is little cover to be found in the flat landscape that stretches 40 kilometers down towards the city of Kherson. Many people wonder if the Ukrainians will now manage to liberate the city. Russian authorities in Kherson have ordered the forced evacuation of all civilians. Sergei is cautiously optimistic. – If we had the chance, we would have liberated Kherson tomorrow, but it is difficult, he says. Sergei draws and explains how the Grad battery works. Photo: Oleh Balanab / news Important equipment Further down at the edge of the forest, a truck comes towing an M777 howitzer. This is some of the donated equipment that has really made a difference for the Ukrainians. Triple-7, as it is called, has a long range, so that one can stand at a relatively safe distance and shoot precisely to destroy Russian artillery. We are moving in their direction, but must stop. No one can guarantee that the field where the M777 stands is mine-free, so we wait on the tractor road fifty meters away. Can reveal the position Even if the M777 has a long range, there is a short distance between Ukrainian-controlled Mykolaiv and Russian-occupied Kherson. The Ukrainian artillery is within range of Russian guns. The soldiers immediately fire three grenades. A Ukrainian drone is in the air to adjust the aim between each salvo. Then they have to pack up. There is always the danger that they have now revealed their position and that the Russians may start firing back. A team from the 59th brigade in Mykolajiv fires the M777 howitzer in the direction of Kherson. Photo: Oleh Balaban / news Sergei says that one can never quite know when and if this will happen. Sometimes they hear nothing. Sometimes they didn’t have time to move before it started banging around the ear. We ask how many have fallen in the 59th brigade, but do not get an answer. It is information that the Ukrainians would rather not share. Recipe for success We got into the car and drove out of the area while it roared wildly at the edge of the forest. There, many hidden Ukrainian artillery batteries begin a coordinated bombardment of Russian positions. news got to see a Grad battery at the front towards Kherson. Photo: Oleh Balaban / news This is also part of the recipe for success for the Ukrainian departments: They manage to coordinate artillery, infantry, air force and intelligence so that they fight as a modern and efficient army. Bad timing We have barely entered Mykolajiv city when the alarm goes off. Two Russian combat drones strike the city before everything calms down again. It is urgent for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj to free Kherson. Winter is coming soon. With it, the pace of warfare will stop. It will be impossible to dig trenches in frozen ground. news’s correspondent in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Photo: Oleh Balaban / news The Russians are also greatly outnumbered. Although Ukrainian soldiers fight smartly and are careful, it is demanding to face such a numerous enemy. But the more the artillery guns in the area fire, the closer Sergei and the other soldiers are to their dream of liberating Kherson.
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